How Chongqing Maintained Zero Casualties during the Worst Flood in a Century

Chongqing- By adopting measures like interdepartmental collaboration, proactive intervention, and scientific coordination, Chongqing has brought the No. 5 Flood of Yangtze River and No. 2 Flood of Jialing River in 2020, mostly under control, and with zero casualties. Here is a summary of the lessons we've learned so far from the city.

Interdepartmental Collaboration

The flood currently passing through Chongqing is by far the most significant flood since the construction of the Three Gorges Reservoir. And more than 120,000 people in the districts and counties of Jiangbei, Banan, Jiangjin, Tongnan, Tongliang, and Hechuan had been affected, as of Wednesday morning.

"To compensate for the dual effect of the No. 5 Flood of the Yangtze River and the No. 2 Flood of Jialing River bound to hit Chongqing at almost the same time, we have been collaborating with the Yangtze River Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources, the Upper Yangtze River Bureau of Hydrological and Water Resources Survey, and the Water Resources Department of Sichuan Province since as early as August 10," said Song Gangyong with the Chongqing Municipal Water Resources Bureau.

The interdepartmental collaboration made it possible for the upstream reservoirs like Xiangjiaba Reservoir and Xiluodu Reservoir to take in some of the drainage pressures before the flood peak reached Chongqing. Twenty-three flood control orders have been issued to address Chongqing's flood crisis, and over 5 Billion metric tons of water has been redirected to the upstream reservoirs.

"Early estimate suggests that the water flow could've reached 87,500 metric tons per second, the water level at the Cuntan Yangtze River Hydrometric Station could've hit 194 meters, and the affected population could've been 100,000 more, had there not been any diversion from the upstream reservoirs," said Song.

More than 250,000 people had been relocated to safer places before the flood swallowed up almost half of the riverside areas in Chongqing, and no casualty has been incurred so far, according to reliable sources.

Proactive Intervention

Before the No. 4 Flood of Yangtze River hit Chongqing, and even before the No. 5 Flood of Yangtze River even had its official name, the Municipal Water Resources Bureau had already engaged in the prediction and preparation for the next flood. "Considering the scale and duration of heavy rainfalls in Sichuan from August 11 to 17, we were quick to realize that there's a strong possibility for the next flood to occur," said Song.

"We were closely watching the situation in the upstream areas, and made revisions and updates to our emergency plans for more than ten times," said Song. "We upgraded to level I emergency response and started sounding early alarms to residents 30 hours before the flood came, which bought valuable time for the evacuation and relocation of affected residents."

Scientific Coordination

"Chongqing established a three-level command mechanism of flood control and emergency response, linking the risky soft spots, the districts and counties, and the city tightly together," said Ran Jinhong, director of the Municipal Emergency Management Bureau and deputy commander of the Municipal Flood Control and Drought Relief Department. The top-down command mechanism rendered Chongqing full capacity and leeway to deal with even the most voracious flood foreseeable in the future.

Since August 16, the Municipal Flood Control and Drought Relief Department have dispatched nine special task teams to the 15 districts and counties along the Fujiang River, Jialing River, and Yangtze River. They were stationed there to assist the local governments in conducting safety inspection, risk detection, and personnel evacuation.